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Russia will be engaged in oil and gas exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey’s state Anadolu Agency, citing the pro-government Syrian newspaper Al Savra, reported that the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources of the SAR has signed an oil exploration agreement with the Russian companies Capital Limited and East Med Amrit.
Under the agreement, Capital Limited will explore for oil in an area of 2,250 square kilometers off the coast of the Syrian province of Tartus on the eastern Mediterranean coast.
The agreement is for 25 plus 5 years. It is planned that the exploration period for the deposits will last 48 months, and if necessary, this period can be extended for another 36 months.
It is also reported that East Med Amrit has already identified drilling areas in an area of 2,190 square kilometers off the coast of the northern regions of Tartus province and is expected to conduct 3D seismic surveys in the future.
So far, no statements on this issue have been received from Russia.
Earlier, on March 15th, Turkey expressed strong reservations over not being consulted over an EU-backed project in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara sent a diplomatic note to the Greek and Israeli embassies as well as the Delegation of the European Union saying that any further action should not take place without seeking permission from the Turkish government, diplomatic sources said speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
On March 8, Israel, Greece, and the Greek Cypriot administration signed a memorandum of understanding on the EuroAsia Interconnector, which connects the electricity grids of the three states through a sub-sea cable.
The diplomatic note stated that the grid passes through Turkey’s territorial waters, the sources said.
The project’s visual documentation showed the planned route of the sub-sea electricity cable includes Turkey’s continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean, the sources added.
According to international law, if a preliminary study is required before laying the cables, Turkey’s permission must be sought.
Turkey is attempting to pursue its interest in the East Mediterranean, because it signed an agreement to exploit Libya’s EEZ with the Government of National Accord (GNA). Whether that deal is active after the new interim government was sworn in remains in question. It is even more questionable if it will be honored after elections are held in Libya.
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“Turkey expressed strong reservations over not being consulted over an EU-backed project in the Eastern Mediterranean.” Sultan Erdogan is expecting everybody to ask”permission” for Ottoman Empire controlled East Mediterranean region. It will be the great news if big reserves of the gas are discovered there.
everybody in the pool….